


The Silence

by Fallen_L_Angel



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Action/Adventure, Creeping Horror, Death, Gen, Horror, Mild Gore, Minor Child Death, No Actual Silent Hill, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Persona 5 Spoilers, Silent Hill elements, Supernatural - Freeform, Suspense, Tags May Change, Violence, possibly disturbing content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2020-02-26 00:43:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18713017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallen_L_Angel/pseuds/Fallen_L_Angel
Summary: Ren is returning to Tokyo for summer and can't wait to see his friends. However, when an unfortunate event happens and leaves him stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing but an empty town and no Morgana, he's going to have to fight to make it home. If nothing else gets him first.





	1. Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5. All assets of the game belong to Atlus and its subsidiaries.

Ren hummed a happy tune to himself as the train moved along. Speeding its way along tracks and through the countryside that was his home. He watched hilly landscapes roll by along with small snatches of woods. The ocean was conjoined to the land's hip, with a matching sky zooming alongside it.

Ren could admit the sight was beautiful. There would always be a certain charm to nature in the country that the city would never be able to replicate. However, for him, it would never truly beat the vast skyscrapers, bustling crowds, and lively atmosphere of the city of Tokyo. Especially after the events of last year had made him feel the most alive he's ever been.

Idly, he thumbed open the messages on his phone and looked at the recent chain of comments from his friend group.

_Monday, 12:47_

**Ryuji:** Yo. Sorry ta spring this on ya, but we can't come pick ya up. The "Monabus" is busted and it's gonna take at least a week to fix.

 **Ren:** You know there's only one Monabus, Ryuji.

 **Ryuji:** Shut up! Ya know what I meant, smartass.

 **Yusuke:** Regardless, this still means we cannot pick him up for his summer break.

 **Makoto:** I'm really sorry, everyone. Especially Ren. I have no idea what happened.

 **Haru:** Don't worry, Mako-chan! We know it's not your fault.

 **Ren:** Haru's right. You're fine. I'll just take the train. I have more than enough money saved up.

 **Ann:** Just don't piss off the train conductors. We don't need another 7-11.

 **Ren:** You mess with security one time. . .

 **Futaba:** If you had you're way you would have pissed off every cop you came across during your probation just to spite the government.

 **Ren:** Guilty.

There was a rustling movement in his bag and Ren looked down to see Morgana pop his cat head out of the zipper.

"Are we there yet? This bag is getting stuffy." Morgana whined and the teen gave him a sympathetic smile.

"It's still going to be a little bit. Maybe another hour." The cat groaned.

"Really? Can't I come out now?" The sympathy turned to something a little more stern, but the look on Ren's face suggested this wasn't the first time they had this talk.

"You know I'll get in trouble if they catch me with a cat."

"I know! But look. There's no one here."

He wasn't wrong. Save for himself and the talking cat, there wasn't another person in this car. He knew other people got on, very few but they did. It was strange how none shared this car with him though.

"Someone could still walk in." Ren argued. Morgana made a noise in his throat, they both knew a conductor hadn't passed through here in some time, but dropped the subject and slipped his head back into the bag.

He sighed. He did feel bad about keeping Mona inside his bag the whole time, but he couldn't afford to get into trouble. He didn't want anything delaying his trip back to Tokyo, specifically Shibuya and Yongen.

The thought of the cramped alleys and Leblanc brought a smile to his face. He wondered what he would do after arriving. More than likely have dinner with Boss and Futaba, perhaps some fatty tuna for Morgana as an apology for keeping him trapped. Maybe he'd go running with Ryuji through Inokashira Park or go shopping with Ann. Gardening with Haru sounded fun, or maybe he'd help Iwai at his shop for old time's sake. He'd definitely go see old man Tora and how he's doing. With that thought, he shot off some quick texts to his friends.

_Tuesday, 13:30_

**Ren:** Hey. I'm on the train, I'll probably be another hour or so.

 **Ryuji:** Sweet!

 **Futaba:** I'll tell Sojiro to start up the curry!

 **Yusuke:** Safe travels, my friend.

 **Ryuji:** Dude. He said he'll be here soon. He's not taking days to get here.

 **Haru:** I think it's sweet. I look forward to seeing you, Ren-kun!

 **Makoto:** I'm still sorry about the van.

 **Ann:** Makoto. . .

 **Ren:** Don't worry about it.

Ren was too busy texting to notice the train going through a tunnel and coming out the other side to a forest. He did notice, however, when he looked out the window and saw fog.

 _Huh?_ Ren blinked. He checked the weather on his phone. _There doesn't seem to be fog in the forecast._

Morgana must have noticed his lack of movement and poked his head out to check.

"Hey, is everything okay?" He looked out the window,"When did it get so foggy?"

"I don't-" He went to answer the cat, but cut himself off when he noticed Morgana staring out the window. His blue eyes were wide and his ears were pulled flat against his head. His midnight fur was bristling and and he could just make out his tail lashing about inside his bag.

His grey eyes went to the window, all he saw was a flash of red and suddenly the train was lurching.

Ren fell from his seat, his phone skidding from his palm. Morgana managed to just barely hold himself onto the cushion with his claws. The third year looked out the window to find that the fog was covering everything, not a minute detail of scenery could be seen. However, he could hear the train beginning to speed up on the rails and he felt his heart bob. Memories of a subway jumping tracks came to mind and he desperately prayed history wouldn't repeat. This time with him caught in the middle.

He tried to stand again only to be thrown back down. Another attempt at getting his feet under him suffered the same results.

The train began to visibly sway from side to side and Ren's stomach with it. He couldn't even understand Morgana's yowling as the cat held on for his life. Out of the corner of his eyes he continued to see that same flash of crimson. Even without the jerking of the train it was near impossible to track.

The lights inside began to flicker, dropping them in and out of darkness. Ren was being rolled from one side to the other as the rocking worsened. He could distantly hear the other passengers in the other cars screaming. He flailed out a hand and managed to catch a pole. He struggled his way up.

"Mona!" He yelled once he was standing, holding a hand out for the feline to come to him. Morgana looked at him, panicked, and the lights gave into darkness again.

Ren felt something hit his foot. The lights flicked back on as he looked down. A picture of his friends and himself, laughing and grinning up at him. He could see the reflection of a red blur on the surface of his own face.

There was a strong bounce and Ren's grip was ripped from the pole. He flew head over feet, his heart lodged in his throat, his vision tunneling-

-Then darkness.

* * *

_Tuesday, 13:50_

**Ryuji:** Yo, Renren, you there?

 **Ann:** Maybe he's going through a tunnel.

 **Yusuke:** That's a long tunnel.

 **Futaba:** Hey, you there, big bro?

 **Haru:** Ren-kun?

 **Makoto:** Is everything alright?

 **Yusuke:** Did his phone die?

 **Futaba:** C'mon this ain't funny, you jerk.

 **Makoto:** Maybe it lost service.

 **Ryuji:** Ren?

 **Haru:** Please, answer, Ren-kun. It's been twenty minutes.

 **Ryuji:** Let me try our personal chat.

 **Makoto:** Please be okay. . .

 **Ann:**. . .

* * *

**Ryuji:** Hey, dude, you there?

 **Ryuji:** Stop messing around. This ain't funny, man. Futaba's freaking out.

 **Ryuji:** Renren! Pick up your damn phone!

 **Ryuji:** C'mon, Ren. . .

 **Ryuji:** Remember? You said you wouldn't ignore me.

 **Ryuji:** Ren?

* * *

_"Breaking news, a train bound for Tokyo and traveling from the countryside was found today. This train is the same one that had went missing yesterday sometime after leaving Yasoinaba station at approximately ten in the morning._

_"It appears to have been a derailment, more than likely taking place some time yesterday afternoon. The cause for this incident is currently unknown as investigators look into the matter._

_"However, according to experts, they say the derailment was more than likely caused by an increase in speed, due to the fact there is little to no evidence of disturbance upon the tracks._

_"There was fifteen passengers, including the conductor and driver._

_"There is no word on any survivors."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. Welcome to Persona 5: The Silence.
> 
> It's been quite some time since I last wrote anything that was an actual, ongoing story and not a oneshot or a collection of them. While I don't have the best track record with these things, I'm still going to try my best and see this plot bunny through.
> 
> However, critique for this story will be very important and very helpful, especially since this story is going to have a very serious tone, so don't expect fluff and rainbows, guys. You ain't getting that here. Neither is Ren.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Fallen L. Angel
> 
> P.S.: This was originally going to be a crossover with Silent Hill, but I decided to drop that idea when I realized I don't know enough about the games to do the setting proper justice. The title is just the leftover from the original concept, and I liked it too much to change it. There will probably still be strong elements of Silent Hill, but the setting won't actually be, well, Silent Hill. :P
> 
> You'll see. Hopefully.


	2. Welcome

There was a cough, then a wheeze, and then Ren found himself prying his eyes open.

He winced as a headache immediately sliced across his brain. What the hell happened?

He went to push himself up and his hand touched something with a light crunch. Looking down he found his cellphone. It was still showing the picture of himself and his friends. He frowned at the crack on the screen. No doubt this was from the crash-

_Crash?_ He thought, trying to remember. Images of a rocking car, fog, and a hysterical Morgana flashed in his mind. _Right. The train crashed. Wait-_

"Mona?" He called, twitching as his own voice caused pain, "Mona? You there?"

Silence.

A glance around the car didn't reveal his feline friend, but it did reveal the slightly tilted state it was in. Windows were broken, glass covering the floor and seats. He saw his bag had been thrown off its seat and was now lying near the car door, which was open.

Ren stood on shaky legs, his body felt like a gaint walking bruise, worse than any of the training sessions he and Ryuji had. He could already tell before he picked up his bag that Mona wouldn't be inside. It did, however, contain an extra shirt and jeans, some first aid items (convenient), some snacks for the ride. He didn't think about packing much since there was still alot of stuff in Leblanc that he kept there for his visits, and eventually when he moved back for college. He was starting to wonder if that was such a good idea now.

With a sigh he went toreadjust his glasses until he realized they were no long on his face, huffed becuase of course they disappeared too, and carefully moved to the outside.

He wasn't even surprised the fog hadn't lifted. Especially considering his shitty luck so far.

"Mona?" He tried again, hoping against hope his friend would finally pop up. He moved forward and felt his foot kick something. He looked down and recoiled in shock.

A dead body. A woman's dead body lay in front of him, her eyes glossy and staring up at him motionless, lifeless. Blood had dried and clumped on the side of her head, making it easy to guess the cause of death. Ren felt sick.

He moved back and bumped into something else. Dread curled his stomach, but he willed himself to look anyway. To confirm.

He was regreting it as his eyes met the lifeless gaze of a little girl, her pink dress ripped into in the middle where the glass was slicing deep into her abdomen.

Ren sucked in a breath and dashed a few feet away before turning around and surveying the wreckage. The train cars, three of them, were turned on their sides, his car the only one even remotely upright. The metal dented and bent under fallen and cracked trees. He was somewhat thankful for the fog censoring the worst of the wreck, but he could see the silhouettes of his fellow passengers. All unmoving and they didn't look to be getting up again.

A lump developed in his throat, one he couldn't swallow. Sure, he'd killed before, but those were shadows. Cognitive beings. They were parts of a bigger whole, enemies that had to be cut down so he and his friends could steal the treasure of the corrupt. More than half of them weren't even human looking. They, however, were not shadows. They were people. Once living and breathing and no doubt had families waiting for them to return. Husbands and wives to kiss and children to hug. Pets to take care of and jobs to complain about.

"Morgana!" Ren yelled, desperate for his company. Anything to take his mind off of the scene in front of him. No response.

He took a deep breath, then released.

It wasn't ideal, but more than likely he was the only survivor. He didn't want to stay here, not with the bodies of the dead, but he didn't have a choice. He'd only get lost in the surrounding trees, which would make it hard for any rescue team to find him if they knew he was even there. Plus, Morgana might come back-

A rustle. Ren felt his heart stop. He turned his head behind him, hoping it wasn't some wild animal. Instead, what he found was the darkened form of a familiar cat. His face lit up.

"Mona! There you are." Morgana didn't come to him. He turned and fled down a cleared path in the forest.

"Hey, Mona!" Ren yelled,"Come back here!" He began to follow, before remembering where he was. The repercussions to getting lost. However, Morgana was his friend. If he was acting strange then he needed to help him. He wasn't going to abandon him. Besides, with how clear the path was there was probably a town nearby. Which meant he could get help. Morgana was probably too impatient to wait to tell him and figured he'd follow.

Ignoring the twisting of his gut, Ren raced on.

* * *

His boots pounded the dirt path. Trees and shrubbery flashing by as he chased the black blur in front of him.

"Mona! Mona, slow down!" The cat didn't listen and the fog wasn't helping. His frustration was building both from the weather and the fact his friend wasn't responding. He knew it was Morgana. He'd recognize that fur pattern anywhere.

"C'mon, Mona! You know it's unfair because you have four legs!" Still nothing and soon the cat's figure was swallowed by fog. Ren stopped, the silence only broken by his huffed breaths.

"Mona?" He twisted and turned, trying to spy Morgana in the mist.

"Mona? Mona, don't do this to me, again." Nothing. All was still.

_Maybe I should go back._ He thought. Though he shuddered at the idea of spending more time with corpses, he knew it was better than being lost in the woods. Plus, Mona would be able to find him again if he just stayed on the clear pathway instead of running willy-nilly through a thick forest.

He turned, intending to do just that, sending an apology Mona's way, but was met by a wall of trees. The path he'd been running down, following Mona on, was no longer in sight.

_Shit._

His eyes scanned around the area as best they could, but there was no sign of the pathway, just as there were still no signs of a certain black cat.

Movement, towards his back, and Ren spun. He could see distant shadows in the fog. He squinted his eyes, forcing them to focus, but it wasn't until he stepped closer, the fog dispersing, that he could make out a town nearby.

_So there was a town,_ He thought, then looked back at the forest-made blockade, _But why isn't there a path leading to it?_

After all, there clearly was one when he'd followed Morgana. So where did it go and why was the town visible now?

Ren sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He could already feel a familiar loneliness eating at his chest as he looked upon the smiles of his dearest friends. He checked the clock. 14:20. No signal.

Putting his phone away, he readjusted the straps of his bag on his shoulder. A determined look settled on his features, a look very similar to the one he wore as Joker.

_Sorry, guys_ , Ren sent the mental message to his entourage and took his first steps towards the town, _But I'm gonna be a little late coming home._

* * *

_Tuesday, 14:30_

**Ann:** Still nothing?

**Haru:** No. Ryuji hasn't got back with us either.

**Yusuke:** I'm assuming Ren hasn't answered to any of us then.

**Ann:** Nope.

**Haru:** Afraid not.

**Makoto:** Nothing.

**Futaba:** I even tried stupid memes and he hasn't said a word. He never ignores my memes. . .

**Yusuke:** All we can do is hope Ryuji comes through then.

**Ryuji:** You're gonna be disappointed.

**Ann:** Ryuji!

**Makoto:** Disappointed?

**Haru:** Oh, no. . .

**Ryuji:** I'm sorry. . .

**Futaba:** Maybe Inari's right and his phone just died.

**Makoto:** Perhaps.

**Ryuji:** Hey, c'mon, let's not get worked up. He wasn't our leader for nothing! Besides, he's got Mona with him!

**Ann:** That's true. There's no way Morgana would let anything happen to him.

**Makoto:** I still wish we'd get an answer.

**Haru:** We'll just have to put our faith in him, Mako-chan. This wouldn't be the first time we've done it.

**Makoto:** I suppose. . .

**Ryuji:** Of course he'll be okay! He always is! Him and Mona have never let us down!


	3. Trapped

 

The streets were starting to crack, weeds springing up from their confines. The concrete of the sidewalks were faded and sun stained, ironic considering the dense fog surrounding everything. What little he could see of the buildings suggested age, maybe twenty years. He couldn't be sure, architecture wasn't his specialty. Some of them had old water stains, some with shingles missing. All of them had musty windows and unkempt yards. Vines growing up the sides of walls. He was pretty sure he saw a car or two, but they looked as if they hadn't been driven in some time. It was obvious that either the people here were very bad at keeping their shit together, or there hadn't been people here for some time.

Ren really wanted the former to be true. He could handle sloppy people over being alone in an empty town in the middle of a forest.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been walking once he got to the entrance of town. He wasn't even sure if that was the entrance, considering there hadn't been a sign stating the town name. If it even had one.

A throb in is temple and Ren hissed. He stumbled over his feet and only stopped from kissing the concrete thanks to his hand grabbing a nearby pole. He breathed deep, controlled, until the pain subsided.

_Damn._

Just what he needed. Headaches. As if this whole situation wasn't turning into one anyway. He had taken a nasty hit to the head thanks to the crash. He didn't think he was concussed, though. He knew what a concussion felt like, fighting monsters in a world made up of cognitions would do that.

_"You were unconscious for more than five minutes."_ The voice of lectured inside his head, _"Concussion or not, there is still the possibility of brain damage-"_

_Thanks, Doc, I get._ He thought, cutting off his dear doctor. He knew the voice was right, though. He hadn't spent all that time with her just to sit there and be a lab rat.

_"Guinea Pig."_ The voice corrected, fond. Ren allowed a wry smile on his lips.

He opened his bag and began to rummage around. He knew he had some medicines left over from when he had visited the clinic during his thief days. Perhaps he still had some of her miracle drugs on hand. If anyone could make a medicine that could prevent or even cure a concussion it was Takemi. However it seemed his first aid items didn't consist of Takemi's specialty drugs. More than likely those were at Leblanc as well. Which was mildly concerning. He still looked through his bag, hoping against the odds he missed something. Yet, when his search turned up empty he closed it with a frustrated sigh.

_Calm down,_ He told himself, _You just need to find a drug store or a hospital. Preferably a hospital so you can get your head checked. That and I still feel like my whole body's been knocked around by a Geisha._

His main problem, however, was the fog. He still couldn't see a damn thing. The mist was far too thick to see ten feet in front of him, let alone street signs unless he walked right into one. A map would be good, if only so he knew what was in this town, but fat chance of him finding one-

There was a rustle and Ren spun. Honestly, he'd been expecting a person, maybe even Morgana. What he wasn't expecting was to see a paper, crinkling in a gentle breeze Ren didn't feel, and sitting innocently on a bench. Like it had always been there and he just didn't see it. He knew better.

Cautiously, he walked towards the bench, straining his ears in case anything tried to jump him since his eyes were virtually useless. When nothing tried to attack him by the time he reached the seating he decided to slowly pick up the paper.

It was a map. It was an actual _fucking_ map.

_Too convenient,_ his brain screamed, _Too convenient, too convenient, too conven-_

"Moragana?" He called. He knew he wasn't going to get an answer, but who else could have left this? Unless there were locals and they were messing with him, but that didn't seem right. None of this seemed right.

"C'mon, Mona, this isn't funny anymore." It wasn't funny to begin with, but what could he do?

With a sigh he looked at the map. Thankfully, he could read it, and saw that there was indeed a hospital. He could also see a shopping district, a small building that looked like a shrine, a hotel, and some other places of interest. He was surprised this town was bigger than he thought. Didn't make it any less creepy.

Based on what he could see, he seemed to be in the residential area, which meant the hospital was fairly close. According to the map, it was in the middle of both the shopping district and residential area. Like some sort of dividing line. He quirked an eyebrow at that, but made no comment. After all, he's seen a flying bank before, this was fairly normal compared to the Metaverse. Well, except the Metaverse was more lively than this place.

Shaking those thoughts off, Ren continued deeper into the town, his destination set.

The figure in the fog waited until he was out of sight, before it, too, faded into the mist.

* * *

Several wrong turns, near run-ins with street lamps, one incident where he mistook a tree for a person, and about an hour later Ren found himself finally in front of the hospital. Honestly, he already felt a headache coming on, this one caused by a certain maze of a town and not his near death experience. He wasn't sure what that said about him when nearly dying in a train crash annoyed him less than a town that liked to turn itself around.

Pocketing his map with more force than needed, Ren made his way up the steps of the hospital. It was smaller than he expected, with three floors and taking about only half the space hospitals normally did. The lawns around it were just as messy as every single one in the town, vines creeping up the sides of the building and covering the sign to the point it was illegible. He couldn't see into the parking lot, but there was probably no cars here anyway. Thankfully, the place didn't look ready to collapse, but Ren felt it would be better to get the medicine he needed, see if anyone was here which he doubted, and get out. Stopping in front of the glass doors, he was surprised to find they weren't nearly as grimy as he thought they would be. This gave him a decent view of his own reflection and he winced.

Turns out, the reason he felt like a bruise was because his body was mottled in purple blotches. His entire right cheek, his left forearm, the upper part of his right arm and his hand, some of his knuckles. He could even see a hint of color peeking out from under his shirt and could only imagine what the rest of his body looked like. Now that he was paying attention, he could start to feel the swelling in his cheek, surprised he didn't have a black eye on top of everything else. There was some dried, matted blood on the right side of his face, way too close to his temple for comfort. Looking closer found small lacerations on areas of his exposed skin, no doubt the glass that had been littering the train when he woke up.

All in all, he looked fairly well off for someone who had been in a train crash. Unfortunately, this meant he was going to need ointment on top of medication.

_Not gonna accomplish anything standing here._ He thought. Steeling himself, he opened the door.

It pushed in on squeaky hinges, and Ren's boots tapped on dirty, dusty linoleum. There was a rush of cold air as he entered and he sucked in a breath. Despite being summer the town had an ominous chill to it, no thanks to the fog, but this was different. It almost seemed like the AC was left running, uncontrolled, and now what should have been a brisk comfort for patients was turned into frigid nails flicking at his skin. The place was dark and would be getting darker the longer the day drug on. The waiting area Ren found himself in was devoid of life, the chairs visitor-less and the reception desk lacking the secretary. What plants were there were withering, but when Ren touched one of their leaves it crumbled in his hand like it was made of fragile, cold crystal. The yawning silence made him shiver.

_Okay, screw this, just check the desk for bandages or anything useful and go find a drug store instead._ He knew it was a gamble with his current condition, no matter how lucky that condition was, but when leaves felt like they were starting to turn into ice rather than dust even he knew it was best to book it.

He walked over to the desk and peered over it to see if anyone, maybe even a hobo, was behind it before going around himself. It was still full of papers, some in neat stacks and others that had yet to be looked through. He quickly began to open draws and sifted through their contents. Most of them contained files stuffed full, others had smaller things like thumbtacks and paper clips. One turned up with a little clip on light that still worked.

_Too convenient, too convenient, too convenient too convenienttooconvenie-_

Ren pushed his nagging thoughts away and decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He wanted to avoid using his phone as much as possible and using a convenient ( _too convenient_ ) light source like this was better than his phone going dead. He clipped it onto the collar of his shirt, leaving it off to save the batteries and continued his search of the desk.

When it turned up empty he decided to look around the computers instead. Maybe they kept some packs of bandages for little kids or paper cuts? It was better than being empty handed. His eyes wandered the desk until they fell on some sticky notes stuck to the corner of a computer monitor.

_Patient in room 66 is getting restless again._  One of them read.

Again? Did it happen that often? He'd be restless, too, if he was stuck in a hospital bed. The way this sounded, though, well-

Curious, he read the others on the screen.

_Order more gauze, medical tape, and tranquilizers._

_Remind Aki to clean out the restrooms on the second floor._

_Room 66 needs the window fixed._

_Reminder: Keep the door to the morgue closed and locked when not in use._

Ren stopped. He reread the last note. Right. Morgues. Hospitals did have those. People did die in hospitals after all, that was reality. That was life. Could the morgue be why it was so cold? Was it open?

_Nope._ Ren pushed himself away from the desk and decided he'd been here long enough. He didn't consider himself the skittish type, but when he's stuck in a town that has virtually no people, was in a train crash, can't find Morgana, no phone signal, and looked like he was Makoto's personal punching bag - he drew the line at thinking about a room where they kept _dead bodies refrigerated_.

He turned on his heel and walked towards the doors-

Only to stop when he found himself staring at a figure in the fog.

His breath hitched. He felt the temperature drop, his skin was budding with goosebumps. His heartbeat sped up, but the figure didn't move.

It was definitely a person. It was too human shaped to not be. He knew for a fact it wasn't there before, but were they a local? Did they know about the crash?

Would they help him?

He knew his brain was screaming at him again. The instinctual part and the part of him that was still Joker, the part that had survived clash after clash with shadows, was telling him to run. That the chances of him running into someone here, after going God knows how long without seeing _anyone_ , was a slim chance in hell. Yet his choices were limited. He didn't have Mona. He was hurt, potentially worse than he looked if his impromptu lessons from Takemi indicated anything. He needed to do something, and running from what was possibly the only other person in this town wasn't an option.

As he ignored the yelling of his psyche and made his way closer a strange sound entered his ears. A crick and crack. Slow, but quickly speeding up. Uneven.

It wasn't until he looked at the corners of the door that he noticed a layer of frost and ice was beginning to cover the glass.

_Shit!_

Ren shot for the door.

The figure outside watched. Ren drew closer, the frost raced up the glass, the fog was beginning to lift. Ren's breath nearly caught as the other became more prominent, distinct. It raised an arm towards him.

Ren slammed into the door just as the ice finished coating the surface.

He growled as he pulled the handles. He shoved himself against the surface, ignoring the shot of pain in his shoulder and arm. He kicked, pushed, hit. Nothing he did broke the ice. Not even calling to the figure on the other side produced a result. Ren sunk to the floor.

He was stuck.

* * *

_"Hi, this is Ren Amamiya. Sorry I couldn't pick up right now, but if you leave a name, number, and message I'll try and get back to you. Thanks."_

_Beep._

_"Hey, kid. It's Sojiro. Where are you right now? We haven't heard anything from you. Did your train get delayed or something? They say it's been two hours now since they heard from you. Seriously, even I know it doesn't take that long to pick up a phone. You okay? Did something come up?_

_". . ._

_"Either way, give me a call as soon as you get this message. I'll still have that coffee and curry waiting for you when you get here. Keep your nose out of trouble, okay?"_

_Click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? You thought the PTs were the only ones wondering about him?


	4. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 5. All assets of the game belong to Atlus and its subsidiaries.
> 
> All critique is welcome. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, and please, if you have advice I'll gladly take it. All comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as well.

Ren wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there, the cold beginning to seep through his shirt and into his skin. He'd been staring at the door, his earlier indignation now simmering on low in his gut. He'd been so close. Only a few more seconds and he could have busted right through the front door.

_"And added more cuts and bruises to what you already got."_ Little Takemi stated. Ren shushed her.

With a sigh, he stood. He felt for his bag and looked inside to confirm everything was still there. While he did have the small first aid kit if he needed it, they usually didn't hold much, and he'd rather find better supplies if he could than using up his rations.

_Well, guess I better find another way out._ He thought. He turned on his heel and walked past the reception desk and to the right.

Only he couldn't go that way. Apparently the door wasn't the only thing with frostbite as sitting before him was a wall of ice. It went from floor to ceiling, with veiny cracks and patterns. A quick kick confirmed the thing was sturdy and there'd be no way for him to bust it down without at least a pipe or a sledgehammer. Just standing near it was giving him shivers that had little to do with the cold. If this was already happening right after the frost took over then Ren didn't want to know what could happen to him if he stayed too long.

With a leery look, Ren turned and decided to go down the other hall.

The hallways on the left were already getting dark and a quick glance at the windows through open doors and empty rooms did confirm they were just as frosted over as the front door.

Well, emergency exits were a thing.

However, the area at the end of the hall came up surprisingly exit free and Ren frowned. Wasn't that against regulations? Maybe it was somewhere else. He turned right.

There weren't many doors down the hallway, some of them seemed to be generic offices and even a filing room. The medicine storage and all that must be on the other side, barricaded by frozen water. Was the exit over there too?

The only other thing besides empty chairs for people to wait outside the offices was a set of stairs and an elevator. Looking at the buttons showed that dust, and maybe more ice, had started forming inside the cracks. The floor meter was also becoming clouded from the cold and touching the metal door was just as bad as the ice wall.

Curiously, he pressed the call button.

Nothing. Ren gave a wry smile.

_Of course._ Not like he'd want to get on anyway, the day he's been having.

One last look at the metal contraption and Ren walked towards the stairs. He placed his foot on the first step-

_Ding._

Silence. Ren turned his wide eyes towards the elevator.

He waited. Heart slamming in his ribs and his fists tightening as adrenaline began to leak into his veins. He didn't breath, didn't blink, didn't move. His body a statue as he watched and listened.

When there was still nothing he tilted himself back slowly, carefully. The hall was still empty. What little he could make out of the meter showed the needle hadn't moved. No lights had come on. He heard it. The ding. The doors should have opened.

Yet all was still.

Ren swallowed both his saliva and his anxiety and silently, slowly, trekked upstairs.

Maybe it was just faulty wiring.

* * *

Apparently, life hated him. Some deity upstairs thought his misery was funny and continued to lead him on by a string. He wondered if he should call and tell them the last God that did that ended up with a bullet in his skull.

The door that was supposed to lead out into the second floor was frozen shut. Kicking it, a habit that was becoming increasingly common, yielded no results beyond a clang. While touching the door knob nearly got his hand stuck to it it was so fucking cold. Dark eyes looked at the ascending stairwell, wary, and he weighed his options.

He could keep climbing up. There was nothing stopping him from going to the third floor and making his way down the other stairwell that had to be on the other side, if the layout of the hospital was as he assumed it would be. On the other hand, he could go back downstairs and try to find something to break that ice wall and hopefully cut his time here down. If he could find something. There was no guarantee he'd find anything to take care of a wall that thick, and the other doors downstairs that weren't left open could be frozen shut as well, especially since that's where the cold started. He didn't remember seeing any emergency equipment either, like fire extinguishers or even a small ax unless he overlooked them.

With a sigh Ren turned and began to walk up the stairs. At this point it would be best to keep moving forward than backtrack unless he had to. There was no telling how much colder this hospital was going to get and, if nothing else he could probably get to the roof and into warmer weather if needed. Anxiety and a pounding heart would only keep him warm for so long after all.

Within a minute he was at the end of the stairwell, which unfortunately did not have any stairs to the roof. Shrugging, he put his hand on the knob, one that didn't feel like dry ice, and opened the door into the third floor.

The first thing he noticed were obviously the doors to the patient rooms, the ones on this side labeled in the early forties. The hallways were completely bare. Curious, he checked his phone.

His eyes widened. _17: 50._

How long had he been in this hospital?

Putting his phone in his pocket, Ren kept walking. There was no use worrying about it more than what he already was. It was best to keep moving and hope for the best. Whatever that may be.

Turning the corner, Ren finally turned the light on. It wasn't the brightest, but was better than stumbling around and it made it easier to read the numbers on the doors. He slowed his pacing as he came up on the doors which were in the early sixties, his thoughts wandering back to the sticky notes on the computer.

_"Patient in room 66 is getting restless again"._

_"Room 66 needs the window fixed."_

_Room 66, huh?_ Sure enough, just a few doors down and on his left was the room.

He shouldn't. He really shouldn't. There was no telling what was in that room or what it was for or who had been in it. Whatever the case, it seemed to be a problem room and considering his luck he really should not be snooping inside.

However, he was a former thief. If he learned anything while searching through palaces then it was to check every nook and crany for anything useful.

_This isn't the metaverse, stupid. This is the real world. A place that should not have freezing hospitals and everlasting fog, you dumba-!_

He shoved the voice aside. He would get nowhere if he just sat on his heels. He was a phantom thief that had seen the darkest pits of mankind's evils. Went toe to toe with demons of unimaginable power and made them his. There was no reason for him to get worked up over a silly room.

With that thought he walked right over to the door and shoved it open.

He'd been expecting anything really. From being ambushed by the random undead like one of Futaba's video games or, if he was lucky, a person wandering why some random kid busted into their room.

Instead it was empty. The bed made and, nothing to indicate it's usage. The table was empty, the machines were off. The only weird thing was the duck tape and cardboard over a hole in the frosted up window, the only indication anything had happened here.

At least, until he spotted the card under the pillow, an obvious oversight. He pulled the card out, and angled the light on his shirt to better read it.

_Dear little Reina,_

_I hope this teddy bear makes you feel better during your stay. I know things are terrible right now, and I know everyone has been acting up, but I promise you everything is okay. Don't let the doctors know, but I left something inside the bear incase you ever have need of it. Think of it as a good luck charm to whether the storm. But use it sparingly child. If not that, then, well, if you need me to make it better just ask. No one should have to suffer during these times. Sweet dreams, my child._

There was no signature. Ren wasn't sure if he wanted one. There was nothing suspicious about a teddy bear. Any kid would be happy with one. Yet, what was inside it? What couldn't Reina let the doctors see? Something was niggling in the back of his mind, jingling like the bell above Leblanc's door, but it was just out of reach. On top of that, what happened to little Reina?

He glanced down at the trash can, intending to throw the card inside, but instead found a crumpled piece of paper. He reached in and pulled it out. Unfolding it revealed it wasn't a doctor's note or a prescription. If anything, it looked like a journal entry.

_I hate this room. The staff all avoid me unless necessary. No one makes eye contact with me. They all whisper to each other when they think I can't hear or if they think I'm asleep._

_Poor boy, they say. I wonder if he'll ever recover._

_Maybe he's a lost cause. Maybe he'll never get it back. You think he'll go mad?_

_If I go mad it's because of this godforsaken hospital and you gossipy hags and assholes._

_Thank god the old man decided to take me in. I don't think I can stand another minute in this hospital._

Honestly, it was hard to make out since some of the letters were smudged. The signature at the bottom was illegible, all he could see was a single English letter, "R".

Was this from Reina? Why sign it in English though? Was she-he not a child? If they were that was some very crude language for a kid to be using, then again Shinya could have a mouth on him when he got angry, too.

What bothered him, though, was whatever this "R", lost. Was he here before or after Reina, if it was indeed a different person.

His mind was racing as he put the two notes into his bag, perhaps he'd find a connection somewhere else as he looked for a way out.

A knot settled in his gut as he thought about the two notes. Suddenly, a noise rang out. Ren froze and listened, ears straining. Was that retching?

Slowly, cautiously, he peeked out the door of the room and was just in time to see a figure stumble through an open doorway.

His heart raced at the thought of finally finding another person. Perhaps it was the person he'd seen through the fog. They didn't seem to be in good condition though since he could hear the sound of them vomiting from here. He winced as he inched out of the room and silently made his way down the hall.

The terrible sound became more audible as he got closer, and was nearly an echo once he was close enough to the doorway, which lead into some restrooms. He made his way into the men's room.

He could see his breath with the help of his light, but also see a stall that was open. He peeked around to spot a figure hunched over the toilet bowl, heaving.

"H-hey," he started, his instincts to help those in need kicking in. He'd be the first to admit he could be an asshole, especially when his temper flared or he wanted to get a rise out of someone. However, he found it hard to ignore someone who was in pain or upset. It often got him into trouble sure, but it was also what helped him make the wonderful friends and family he now had.

So Ren didn't think anything of it when he reached down to rub the man's back, to sooth him and make him feel a little better.

However, the moment his skin met the other's back all he got to register was a deathly cold before the other snapped around.

Ren screamed.

Eyes that were rolled back and half sunken into the skull stared at him, accented by deep purple bags. The skin was pulled tight across bone, bunched up around the joints like wrinkled leather. It wore a white hospital gown, contrasting with blue skin that deepened to purple the further along the limbs one looked and seemed to flake with every move. A skeletal hand with cracked, long nails reached for him, the creature stumbling and groaning. A white slush dripped frugally from an open mouth, lips shrunken and pulled back revealing its teeth.

Ren stumbled back into a stall with a clang as the monster grasped. It hit the floor as it missed its prey and he hoped by the sound of cracking that the thing broke its knees.

Unfortunately it didn't, as it stumbled to its feet, leaving behind powdered skin where it fell. The thing was Ren's own height and it shuffled and hobbled on knobbly legs as it tried to get closer. He turned to run for the exit.

There was the sound of choking and gurgling and he turned just in time to avoid a projectile. He landed on his ass and looked to see, where his head had been was now a block of crystallized ice. He winced as his mind filled in the blanks of what would have happened, the cold crushing his skull and encasing it.

The monster made another choking sound and he looked to see its mouth closed, the slush gathering and leaking from the corner of its thin lips. It made a noise like it was retching and he already knew to roll away as it spat out another glob crystallizing slush.

The monster was nearly over him, hacking up another glob in its throat. Battle instincts kicked in and Ren kicked out with his leg. His boot hit the monster's knee and it fell to the side, coughing up the slush. He scrambled back to pull himself up then yelled out as deathly cold clawed into his shin. The creature was digging its nails into his pants leg, breaking through his skin and holding tight, tugging him closer, moaning the whole time. It felt like the monster's chill was stabbing into his shin, under skin, and trying burn through the monster's nails and burrow deep inside him instead. He could feel a prickling behind the burn and lashed out with his other leg. The monster held fast and grabbed the hem of his shirt, Ren gasping at the feel of cold and crinkled skin.

Amongst his struggles his hand grasped something cool and smooth to the touch. He didn't even think, adrenaline and the need to survive clouding his brain. He lashed out with the object, smacking it into the side of the monster's head. He did it again, and again, and again. Each hit accompanied by the sound of bone shattering and the feel of marrow crunching. In less than a minute the monster ceased pulling and only then did he stop swinging.

Gasping, Ren looked to see the skull completely smashed in, lingering slush dripping from a gaping mouth and bits of frozen gore and brain matter littering the floor beside it. He reached down and tugged the hand from his shirt, ripping it when the fingers wouldn't unlatch. Then he went for his shin, grimacing at the cold touch. He gave a strangled gasp as he pried the nails from his skin and quickly dragged himself away from the dead thing to inspect his wound.

He was obviously bleeding, however it was the sight of frost having formed on his pant leg that gave him pause. If that monster had held on long enough, he'd have had ice forming _inside_ his shin instead. If that ice vomit didn't encase his entire face first anyway.

He pushed the thought from his head, reaching into his bag and opening his first aid kit. He wrapped a piece of gauze around the wound, then ripped it to save the rest.

He inspected the dead creature one more time. He may have fought shadows, creatures that often took hideous forms, but something about this thing seemed more disturbing. Was it because it was so human like that it fooled him? Sure, some shadows looked fairly human as well, and some to this day still disturbed him to look at. Or was it because he wasn't in the metaverse and he unconsciously knew just how vulnerable he could be without healing spells and Takemi's medicine? Just like when he was being interrogated.

Ren shook his head. He _really_ didn't want to continue that thought train.

He instead reached out to the pipe he had used to kill it. A glance at the sinks showed that they were half undone, perhaps in the middle of maintenance. Yet, if that was the case, then what had happened to make them stop and not come back?

There was a bang. Ren paused his thoughts, hand gripping the pipe tightly. He rose to his feet and slowly made his way out of the bathroom.

His fears were confirmed at the sight of patient doors opening and more of those monsters stumbling into the hall. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins again. Heart pounding a familiar rhythm as he realized the only way out and to any sort of safety was to go through these things first. Annoyance and anger began to bubble low in his gut, temporarily pushing back his fear.

With the pipe held at the ready, Ren charged forward.

* * *

_"Hi, this is Ren Amamiya. Sorry I couldn't pick up right now, but if you leave a name, number, and message I'll try and get back to you. Thanks."_

_Beep._

_"Hello, Ren. It's Sae. I hope you know that everyone's been waiting on you. Makoto says they've been trying to get a hold of you and you haven't been picking up. Are you feeling okay? It's not like you to ignore your friends you know. Nearly four hours is a long time to get back to a text conversation._

_"Look, I don't know what came up and hopefully you just fell asleep or something, but if you did you probably missed your stop._

_"Seriously. Pick up. I won't tolerate you missing your stop if you don't call after this. I mean it, Amamiya. Not even I'll be able to defend you when Makoto decides to use you for aikido practice if you don't call back._

_"Just-tell us where you are, okay? You know they don't like it when they don't hear from you. Please."_

_Click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First blood has been drawn. Now for some real fun.


	5. Going Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or other assets used by the Persona series. All rights are reserved to Atlus.

Chihaya used to consider herself a monster. Ridiculed for her gift of foresight and all but exiled from her mountain village. Finding herself in Tokyo and under the thumb of a man who turned out to be a monster himself helped her see that she wasn't nearly as bad as him. She at least had a conscience.

Now he did, too, thanks to the Phantom Thieves.

She smiled an indulgent smile to herself, laying her cards out in the usual pattern for a quick practice fortune. Before she had thought her cards had a purpose of calamity, predicting tragedy after tragedy. It made it hard for her to truly connect with her clients. Now she sees them as warnings, a reason to provide actual advice and to further prove to others and herself that she was, indeed, not a monster.

She found herself using her cards with something like anticipation now. Wondering what fortunes and warnings (that she finally had the guts to help with) her clients would get today.

That, and if she seemed a little happier, humming and swaying, then she didn't think her customers would mind. It had been too long since she saw her good friend, Ren, after all. Perhaps only a few months in the grand scheme of things, but still too long all the same. He had texted her sometime earlier that day saying that he was coming back and he'd visit her tonight, just like old times.

At one point he'd been just another client, someone for her to push her pseudo miracle items on. Then he became someone for her to test the bounds of changing fate, and before she knew it, he became a friend. A person to confide in, to trust.

She'd never say it out loud, since she figured it would embarrass him to no end, but she also thought of him as a little brother. An eager to help, sometimes mischievous, little brother.

_Actually_ , she thought, reaching for her first card, _why don't we see what kind of fate awaits him today?_

She giggled as she thought about all the misadventures he could get into. She had predicted some of them before in secret, just out of curiosity. Only for him to come to her a day or two later and tell her just how right her predictions had been. It was no end of amusement for her, especially since he somehow never put two and two together.

Her smile dropped as she flipped the first card.

* * *

With a shout of rage and frustration, Ren slammed his pipe into the last monster standing in his way. It fell to the floor, its head shattered like ice.

An eerie silence filled the hall, broken only by Ren's heavy breaths. As the anger inside finally cooled, he looked back at the destruction. Ice from their vomit had hardened on the walls and floor, the bodies piled around each other haphazardly from when Ren had broken their fragile bones. Ren felt himself shudder at the carnage, surprised he'd managed to survive. Perhaps he owed that survival to whatever skills he had honed in the Metaverse during his Phantom Thief days. Surely there'd be no other way for a person to survive.

Then again, he wasn't untouched. His body shuddered again, this time as it registered the bits of ice and cold the monsters had managed to land on him.

His hand reached up to pull and scratch at the crystals on his cheek where an ice shot had barely missed. It was like trying to pull stingers off his face. The monsters had managed to leave some frosty, chilled, trails from where their claws managed to scratch and grasp. He rubbed his shoulder where nails had dug under the skin, the area perpetually cold despite the warm blood dripping from the wound. He looked down towards his thigh, where a block of ice had formed. It wasn't huge, but definitely big enough to hinder his movement if he ran into more fights. With a sigh he gripped the pipe that felt like an icicle and began to chip away at it.

Everything was cold, so cold. It reminded Ren too much of his country town and the snowfalls they would get. How, when he was younger, playing in the snow left his cheeks tingly and his body cold with nothing but his excitement and childish energy keeping him warm under thick layers.

He had no thick layers of clothes this time, and all happiness was traded for dread and a growing sense of urgency. He didn't have time to be playing around with these things. If he wanted out of this place he either had to find a way down from the roof or go back down and get passed that ice wall.

The final layer had been chipped away, and he tried to rub feeling back into his thigh. Keyword being "tried" as all his rubbing did nothing to help the numbness, not even digging his nails, blunt as they were, into his pant leg did anything.

_Great_ , he thought, _Now I've got a numb spot on my leg while the rest of my body is on its way to below zero._

He sighed and kept walking, ignoring the tingling that accompanied each step of his leg.

* * *

The pipe swung down and bounced off the doorknob once again. Ren sighed as he lowered the improvised weapon-turned-lockpick.

He had a door that no doubt lead downstairs, seeing as it was in the exact opposite location of the other set, and yet the door wouldn't open. He had kicked it, slammed his shoulder into it, and even tried looking for thin wires to use for a lockpick. Yet, nothing he did seem to get it open. He'd finally resorted to attacking with his pipe, but all it seemed to do was bounce off. At this rate he was either going to alert more monsters to his presence or break his only weapon.

Ren groaned and sat his ass down on the ground.

He glared at the door, as if the heat of his anger would be enough to melt it so he can keep moving forward. Even if he did, though, just how far would he get? At the very least he'd be able to get on the other side of the ice wall, but he still didn't know what to expect. At least with Palaces he had his team with him, encouraging even when they had their backs against the wall. He would have his Persona, too. Arsene's power would have been more than enough to handle those things he'd been fighting, the darkness of an eigaon spell engulfing them.

This wasn't the metaverse, though. This was reality. Ren knew, despite the fact he was more fit and fighting capable than most teenagers his age, just how vulnerable he was by himself and without his Persona. He had no magic here. Even if he did have his dagger and gun, the rules of the metaverse didn't apply. They'd be nothing more than plastic. All he had to rely on was a pipe and what little supplies he had for medical issues.

He looked over his newly wrapped wounds, his headache returning as he thought about how reckless he'd been charging headfirst into the group of monsters like that. He'd just been so pissed off at the time it didn't matter to him that they had both a long-range and close-range advantage. It'd have been more like Ryuji to do that than him.

That, and he was still without any medicine that could help with his body pains and the headache he was still harboring. The adrenaline had, temporarily, distracted him enough that he'd forgotten about it. Now it was returning, making it very clear that if didn't start thinking properly he was going to have more problems than just a migraine and a few scratches and numb patches.

_Ding!_

He froze at the sound. Slowly, hands gripping the pipe tight, he turned himself around.

An elevator was behind him, just like the one he'd seen on the first floor. The one that had made that exact same sound but nothing happened. It was still as Ren rose to his feet, staring it down. Carefully, cautiously, he walked closer. He brought the pipe up, ready to swing, when there was a click and the doors slid open.

Nothing. Nothing popped up from the dark void of the elevator. He inched closer, taking the small light on his shirt and shining it as best he could inside without actually putting himself anywhere near the doors. There was no way he was sticking any part of himself inside that thing only to have it crunch shut on him. He wasn't stupid and had seen enough horror movies to know better.

Yet, as nothing continued to happen, he was beginning to wonder if something was trying to show him the way. He had nowhere else to go unless he backtracked. If he was being led on, he doubted it was Morgana's doing. Cat paws could only do so much after all.

Then, his light glinted off of something on the elevator floor.

Ren crouched, moving closer on hands and knees. The thing gleamed again. Was that a rock?

He gulped. Steeled himself, then shot his hand forward. The reflexes he honed in the metaverse allowed him to grab the object in a second, his eyes having adjusted to where his target was in the dark, and scooped it up.

He held his hand to his pounding chest as he looked at the elevator. It had made no move to close on his hand, hadn't even jerked. He would have felt silly if it wasn't for the fact this place had more than proved it would fuck with him if it wanted to.

Still glaring, he opened his palm.

It was a button. A black button. It looked too big to be from a doctor's coat, though. Perhaps a visitor's or even a patient's coat or shirt? Still seemed too big. Something was nudging at the back of his mind and he pulled out the notes he'd found earlier.

Reina's teddy bear.

It wasn't a thought he enjoyed, but it would make sense. The button would look right at home on a happy bear face, the kind that would make any child smile. Especially one stuck in a hospital bed.

Ren put the button in the bag along with the notes, then looked towards to elevator again. If the button was supposed to reassure him it was safe, it did a piss poor job. That button could be there for anything, either from Reina carrying it around or another person or reason entirely. Did Morgana leave it, but why do that instead of talking to him directly? Unless it was that figure, the one he saw before this place iced over. Did _they_ want him to find the teddy bear? Why?

Then again, what other choice did he have? This pipe wouldn't be enough to bust down that wall or break through the door. Sure it could bash skulls, but that didn't guarantee it would break anything thicker. He didn't feel like risking his only defense on such low odds. All the other rooms didn't seem to have anything helpful, and he didn't want to risk opening them only to be met with more opponents. His supplies were limited and he needed to find a medicine room or, better yet, a way out.

Looking at the floor meter showed that it had one more notch, no doubt the roof. So, either he'd end up on the roof so he could climb down, somehow, or he went further down back to the lower floors to help his chances.

Double-checking he had everything, he did _not_ feel like backtracking, Ren stepped into the dark space. There was a click and the doors closed behind him.

_So much for being more careful._

* * *

With nothing but his light to illuminate the darkness, the sensation of his stomach flipping upside down and his body being weightless seemed worse than if the elevator had been lit. To distract himself, he pulled out his phone and turned it on. The picture of his friends and himself as his screensaver grinned happily at him. The only thing to remind him of today's events being the tangle of cracks that ran through the corner and seemed to slash through their carefree faces. Even now, when he was here and they were who knew how far away, just seeing them calmed his racing heart and chilled any anger that was still burning inside.

He didn't think he'd ever admit it to them, but he had a feeling some of them knew, knew about the anger that he seemed to harbor everywhere he went. Maybe it was from old expectations that his family had placed on him, maybe it was from that feeling of not belonging no matter how hard he tried to fit in back at his hometown. Everyone called Ryuji out for having a temper, and the fake blond was always quick to admit that this was a fault of his. However, he was also quick to forgive. Like he forgave Ann for turning away from him when he needed support the most, like how he forgave Mishima for his cowardice, how he forgave Yusuke, Makoto, even Morgana. It seemed anyone who had slighted Ryuji he was happy to forgive and forget, as long as they were willing to do the same. To start over on a better foot.

He thought Ryuji naive before. Why would anyone be okay with stuff like that? Yet, by the time Ryuji and Morgana were beginning to reconcile, even before then, Ren found that he envied Ryuji's forgiveness. To think that the short tempered, foul mouthed, delinquent that he'd met would be the first to stand behind him and become one of his most loyal companions. It was why Ren had started learning to forgive people himself. Why he started to try and let go of old grudges and just move forward. He wasn't like Ryuji. It would take him a little bit more time for some of those grudges to pass. He was learning, though. Slowly, but surely.

He felt something protective swirl in him as he studied his best friend's face. Ryuji definitely knew, and yet he still stuck by him, would text him late at night when Ren needed to vent. The track team were fools to push Ryuji away, and Ren was glad he'd found a home with them instead.

What he wouldn't give to have Ryuji here; steadfast, strong, and loyal. He would have broken through those monsters no sweat, perhaps even faster than Ren had done. After all, Ryuji only needed one swing for every three of Ren's.

There was a jerk, and it was like when someone had a dream of falling, only to wake up and feel as if they were dropped onto their bed. Ren held his weapon tight as the doors opened, turning his phone back off and shoving it in his pocket.

Just like before nothing leapt out at him, but he was still leery when exiting the elevator. He turned around to look at the gauge and was surprised to see that he was on the first floor. He wasn't sure why it skipped the second, but as of now he didn't really care. If he was on the first floor there was a good chance he was on the other side of that wall, which meant he could finally search around for supplies.

It was also really freaking cold.

It seemed that in the time he'd been exploring upstairs, things had only gotten worse down here. The frost that used to only coat some of the surface was now actively building up, creating small piles in the corners. The windows looked like blocks of ice, and he could see some ice freezing along the cracks in doors as well.

A hard shiver raced down his spine and he wrapped his arms around himself in a futile attempt to keep warm. He should have known better. If it was starting to get cold at the top it would only get worse as he traveled down. Cool air falls after all.

_Shit. Need something warm. Need something warm fast._

He started moving, looking at every door he passed for one that wasn't frozen shut, both to keep his blood pumping and hopefully find something to keep him warm. He sniffled as his nose combated with the cold and his muscles shivered to try and force heat into his body.

By the time he found an unblocked door his cheeks were already getting numb and his entire diaphragm was shaking. He didn't even think as he shoved it open, eyes scanning the room.

It looked to be some sort of lab. Ren would have been more surprised, after all this place was fairly small so what did it need a lab for, but he was too busy scanning the area for something to put on.

That was a mistake.

The next thing he knew a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck. He was thrown back and into a desk, knocking over vials and glassware. His pipe clattering to the ground. He turned, getting pinned by a strong hand, the light on his shirt bobbing too much to make out proper features. His hands grabbed the one holding him down, his leg lashing out. They held something in the other hand, the light bouncing off of glass.

Ren felt his breath and heart freeze at the sight of the syringe.

The hand brought the syringe closer to his neck, too close, much too close. Ren's instincts kicked in and he slammed his head into his attacker's as they leaned over. They jerked back, letting the teenager go. Ren brought his leg up and slammed his foot into their gut. As they stumbled around, he looked for his pipe, his eyes catching sight of the syringe they dropped. The liquid inside was clear, as well as hissing and bubbling through the linoleum floor.

He didn't need to think about what could have happened, and instead reached for his weapon.

He barely pulled his hand back as a different syringe embedded itself into the floor. He turned to see his attacker readying another one. Ren ducked and rolled, ignoring the glass he rolled over and scooping his pipe up.

As he got back to his feet, the other was charging him, trying to grab hold of him again. Ren swung the pipe up, blindly beaming them upside the head and pushed them back again. He spun on his heel, and used his hand to leverage himself over a desk to put a barrier between himself and his attacker.

This time he used his light to get a closer look, and almost mistook them for another human being. At least until he saw the face, and what should have been a white surgical mask was instead melded into skin. Eyes that were blank and white stared at him. Then it pulled an empty syringe from its coat and used it to pull the clear liquid from the "mask" on its face. The texture of it molded like a sponge, some excess liquid dripping down its chin and adding to the endless amounts of red, angry, chemical burns that streamed down its neck.

It pulled the tool away with a muffled groan. It watched him for a moment, then threw it like a dart. Ren stumbled back, letting it stick into the wall behind him. The monster was fast and jumped over the desk, barreling into him.

They both crashed into the wall and Ren almost lost his footing. Instead, the monster grabbed him by the throat and used both its body and surprising height to pin him there. It smelled pungent with chemical waste, the skin of its hand crusty and dry. Ren's pipe arm was useless, pinned into place by the monster's side, and no amount of pushing and pulling with his other hand budged it.

Then it made a choked noise, only for it to turn into a full-blown cackle as it pulled and filled another syringe. Ren would have hissed at the fell of some of the drops on his hand if the monster wasn't choking him.

It looked at him. Ren could tell from the way he saw red veins as the white orb rolled and focused on him, wanting to see his last moments. Its eyes seemed to glow in the low lighting as it continued to laugh at its prey, helpless and clawing in desperation.

At least until Ren remembered the needle in the wall.

His arm swung wildly back and it was pure luck he managed to grab the thing. He ripped it from its place and gave it a new one in the eye of the monster holding him.

The beast screeched, stumbling back and clawing at its own face. Apparently, it wasn't entirely immune to its own chemicals. Then again, getting stabbed in the eye was always an effective tactic. Ren didn't care either way, especially as he brought the pipe up to bat and swung it against the monster's skull. There was a crack, then another one as the second swing slammed it into the wall. Another, then another. Ren gave no quarter and only stopped once monster's hand gave a final twitch, the syringe fell limp and broke on the floor.

* * *

_"Hi, this is Ren Amamiya. Sorry I couldn't pick up right now, but if you leave a name, number, and message I'll try and get back to you. Thanks."_

_Beep._

_"Hey, Ren, it's Mishima. Hey, I was wondering, did you type the time wrong? You know, the time you said you'd be here? I mean, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything! It's just, we haven't heard from you and Ryuji just told me he hasn't been able to get through to you either. Did you fall asleep? Is your train delayed? I hope you're feeling okay._

_"Er, anyway, I'm rambling. If you get the chance do you mind calling me back, or at least Ryuji so he can let me know. I don't want to annoy you or anything, you've probably gotten a ton of phone calls already, but everyone's really worried about you. We all are._

_"Just be sure to let us know something soon okay? Uh, take care!"_

_Beep._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how much longer I can do this before the boy can no longer believably resist the cold?
> 
> Also, hopefully you don't mind the monologue in the elevator, but he had to do something besides just stand there and the chapter would have felt too short otherwise. No, this is not a shipping fic, I promise. Down boys and girls. ;)


End file.
